Darley Street Market: Fly-through video shows progress

While much of the construction work on the new market building is complete, the fit out of the building continues in preparation for its opening later this year.

The video shows new views of the different floors of the market - there will be a non-food floor, a fresh food floor and a food court with hot food stalls and bars.

The balcony on the top floor of the market (Image: Bradford Council)

It also offers a glimpse of the new City Square that will offer outdoor space and link Darley Street with Piccadilly.

The market, which has been built on the former Marks & Spencer site at a cost of more than £27m, will eventually replace the city centre’s existing markets at Kirkgate and Oastler.

Bradford Council hopes the market will help draw people back to an area of the city centre that has been plagued by empty units and falling footfall in recent years.

Escalators in the new market (Image: Bradford Council)

The council has also released images of work to the ornamental wrought iron panels that formed the decorative crest above the public entrances of the former Bradford Kirkgate Market.

The features are currently undergoing restoration, and once this is completed, they will be placed on display in the new market.

Two sets of large decorative panels along with a set of cast iron gates were retained by Bradford Council’s museums service after the old Kirkgate Market was demolished over half a century ago (1973) and replaced with the Kirkgate Shopping Centre.

The new view of Piccadilly (Image: Bradford Council)

One set has been returned to Bradford after being on long-term loan to the Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron in Shropshire.

The over-throw and side panels, which have been completely restored by specialists in heritage architectural metalwork, are to go on display on the hot food and beverage floor and the other overthrow and gates, which are still undergoing restoration, are to go on display in the new square.

The restored market gate sign (Image: Bradford Council)

Ruan Bester, Commercial Director at Dorothea Restorations, said: “The repair work included taking latex moulds of the original components to produce patterns for reproduction.

"Several missing or damaged pieces were recast in grey cast iron and reinstated, and minor cracks were pinned and cast iron welded.

"These sections have finally been decorated in green with the lettering detail picked out in gold paint. We’ve now moved on to the restoration of the sections which include the fan and crest.”